Thursday, April 13, 2017

EGG HUNT GOES TO THE DOGS

By Sally Tremaine

Glastonbury, CT (Grassroots Newswire) 4/13/17 -- Sunday, 4/9/17 was the first ever Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by EXIT Realty Black Rock, a local Real Estate firm, was by all accounts a smashing success. The event, held at the Glastonbury Riverfront Fairgrounds, was held as a benefit for the Wethersfield K-9 Unit to help replace their dog, Thor, who was killed in action last November. EXIT Realty Black Rock co-owner, Sanam Solati, organized the hunt to help the Wethersfield Police Department acquire a new police dog.

About 150 families from all over Connecticut took advantage of the warm weather and swarmed the field. Parents helped the younger children and watched the older ones as they snatched up goodie-filled eggs. Tom Yurczyk, co-owner of EXIT Realty Black Rock, said about 4,500 eggs were spread around the field, but after only a few minutes, there were none left to be found and every child was carrying a basketful of brightly colored eggs.

Several local businesses donated their services for the festive occasion. The younger set enjoyed a variety of games organized by Glastonbury’s My Gym. Central Rock Gym of Glastonbury had equipment on hand to educate kids about indoor climbing. B.Good of Glastonbury offered samples of their healthy, but tasty, drinks. Families also enjoyed the Country Roads Photobooth, donning bunny ears and crazy sunglasses to pose for the camera. Kids were excited to see face painting, and were soon sporting sparkly dolphins and puppy dog faces in brilliant colors. Bobby Schneider from South Glastonbury’s Nayaug Stables brought Max, the bunny, and several chickens for the occasion. Cheerful music was provided by BackBeat City, and Lucian Varela, an instructor at BackBeat, worked with the kids on movement and beatboxing. Candid moment were captured by Lynn Damon of Lynn Damon Photography. All Waste and United Toilets ensured the essentials were taken care of for the event.

Solati said that she was very thankful for all of the organizations that participated by donating their time and services, as well as students from GHS and from UCONN who volunteered for the day, including one who stepped in at the last minute to be the Easter Bunny. Solati also indicated that special thanks are due to Kelly Turner and Bob Zanlungo with Norcom Mortgage of Glastonbury which donated prizes to those lucky children who found a golden egg. “

In spite of a few hiccups, our first annual Easter Egg Hunt went very well,” said Yurczyk. “It’s handy having our office right across the street so we could run back and forth.” EXIT Realty Black Rock agent, Kristen VanVarick commented, “I really hope that we will be able to continue this new tradition in Glastonbury for years to come. We love being able to help out our community.”

Wetherfield K-9 officer Murphy and his police dog, Marly, were on hand to greet the children and express appreciation for the community support. Although Solati didn’t have the exact amount of donations that were collected for the Wethersfield K-9 Unit, she indicated that attendees were very generous and expected that the final figure would be just North of $800. “Service dogs are very expensive because of their rigorous training, so we hope that our efforts will make a difference.